Dreidels

A dreidel, or sevivon in Hebrew, is a four-sided spinning-top. Letters are inscribed into each side to commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah and comprise of the first letter of each word in the statement in Hebrew "נס גדול היה שם‎" (transliterated as Ness Gadol Haya Sham) and meaning "a great miracle happened there". Read our guide to learn everything you want to know about dreidels.

Traditionally, dreidels were made of wood or clay, but modern dreidels can be made from various materials like plastic, metal, or even glass. They can also be elaborately decorated for aesthetic or religious reasons.

Dreidel is a traditional game played during Hanukkah, with each Hebrew letter on its sides representing different outcomes of the game and symbolizing the phrase "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" (A great miracle happened there). It also reminds us of the time the Greeks forbade Jews from practicing their religion, and children would hide Torah study by pretending to play dreidel.

The Hebrew letters on a dreidel are an acronym for "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" (A great miracle happened there).

Dreidels have four sides. The Hebrew letters on a dreidel are an acronym for "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" (A great miracle happened there).

Playing dreidel on Hanukkah reminds us of a time when Greek-Syrian rulers did not allow us to study Torah. So Jewish children would meet in secret to learn, and if a Greek patrol approached, they would hide their scrolls and pretend to be playing with spinning tops (aka dreidels) instead. The dreidel's four Hebrew letters, Nun, Gimmel, Hey, and Shin, form the acronym for "A Great Miracle Happened There" ("Nes Gadol Haya Sham"), which commemorates the miracle of Hanukkah.

1. Split the pieces equally between all the players (~15-20 pieces each)

2. Select a player to start, typically the youngest player goes first.

3. Before the first player plays, each player puts in one piece into the pot.

4. Each player spins the dreidel once until it falls on a side. The side up decides which action the player needs to complete:

נ‎ (nun) is face up. The player gets a pass and does nothing.

ג‎ (gimel) is face up. The player gets everything in the pot!

ה‎ (hey) is face up. The player gets half of the pieces (rounded up) in the pot.

ש‎ (shin) is face up. The player puts a piece in the pot.

5. When the pot runs out, each player needs to put another piece in.

6. A player is out of the game when all of his/her pieces run out.

7. The game continues until a player wins all of the pieces